What If I Cannot Speak Musurgia Universalis?

The characters in The Alchemists’ Council speak a variety of languages and communicate through Musurgia Universalis–“the sacred language of the alchemists” that “enables communication not only among alchemists but also between alchemists and the people of the outside world, no matter their native tongues” (XII). Not privy to this alchemical magic, I wrote the book in English. Thus, the pronunciation tips in this post follow accordingly.

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As many of you know, most of the characters are named for trees. The tree names come from various languages; similarly, the trees themselves come from various countries. Yes, I chose to use a diversity of names to represent the diversity of individuals who comprise both the Alchemists’ Council and the Rebel Branch. However, the linguistic origin of the name, the geographical location of the tree, or even the city in which an Initiate is first contacted, does not necessarily correlate with the ancestral background of the character. Most of the characters live hundreds of years and regularly conjoin with one another to form a new being; therefore, no one’s “original” characteristics–whether race, gender, sex, sexual orientation, or first language(s)–are set in stone as permanent. Nonetheless, all the characters have names, which you may find need to pronounce.

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Recently, I have discovered that my own pronunciation of certain characters’ names does not necessarily match the official pronunciations thereof. Therefore, what I offer you here is a general guide. Where available, I will include a link to an example of the official pronunciation. However, as Cedar makes clear in the Prologue when discussing the unorthodox pronunciation of Jaden’s name, alchemical manuscripts occasionally “indicate a variant pronunciation” (3). Therefore, where my pronunciation differs from the official one or where the official pronunciation is unavailable, I will provide a phonetic representation of the name.

Photograph by Michael Melford. Posted at National Geographic.CLICK IMAGE FOR LINK TO FULL SOURCE.

Though this list is far from extensive, these names will get you started:

DRACAEN is named for the Dragon’s Blood Tree or Dracaena cinnabari. As the narrator of this video states, the tree is “so named because of the drops of red sap which ooze out when it’s cut.” (What other name would I give the High Azoth of the dimension in which the Dragonblood Stone resides?) An array of photos of the tree and its landscape (taken by Michael Melford for National Geographic) can be found here. The pronunciation of the word dracaena can be heard here. In contrast to that pronunciation, I prefer to say the name as DRA-KANE.

AILANTHUS is the Ailanthus altissima, also known as the Tree of Heaven. Some characteristics of the tree can be found here. Its pronunciation can be heard here. Its phonetic spelling might look like this: AI-LAN-THUS.

RUIS is an elder tree. Some lore about the Celtic/Druid associations with the tree can be found here. I have always pronounced the name with an “s” sound at the end: ROO-ISS.

RAVENEA is the Ravenea rivularis or Majesty palm tree. Some characteristics of the tree can be found here. The link also provides a phonetic rendering of the name. In contrast to that pronunciation, I prefer to say the name as RA-VIN-EE-A.

OBECHE is the Triplochiton scleroxylon, a tropical African tree. Some characteristics of the tree can be found here. Its pronunciation can be heard here. Its phonetic spelling might look like this: O-BEE-CHEE.

AMUR is the Acer ginnala, a type of maple tree. Some characteristics of the tree can be found here. I have always pronounced the name the same way as the river, which can be heard here. Its phonetic spelling might look like this: A-MOORE.

ARJAN is the Terminalia arjuna or Arjun tree. As this site notes, an alternative name for this tree is Arjan. I have always pronounced the name with a soft “j” sound (as in the French name “Jean” or “Jacque”): AR-JAWN.

CERCIS is the Cercis siliquastrum, also known as the Judas Tree. Some characteristics of the tree can be found here. Its pronunciation can be heard here. Its phonetic spelling might look like this: SIR-SISS.

QUERCUS (which in Book One is the name of a portal) is the Latin genus for oak trees. Its pronunciation can be heard here. Its phonetic spelling might look like this: KWER-CUS.

SALIX (the other Book One portal name) is the Latin genus for willow trees. Its pronunciation can be heard here. Its phonetic spelling might look like this: SAL-ICKS.

Though not tree names, here are a few more words to consider:

QINGDAO is a city in China. Its pronunciation can be heard here. Or for a phonetic description, see #6 on “Tsingtao” here. For additional information about the city click here.

Composing this list and its resources has taken most of a day, so I will leave it here for now. I may add other names as the weeks progress. Happy reading!

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